Fiji
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
142km²
Area
76km
Coastline
738m
Highest point
8,000
People
29°C
Warmest sea
February
2,886km
To the mainland
When to go to Gau Island
Best for the beach from January to February and from July to September.
The sea is warmest in February (29 °C) and coolest in August (25 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island belonging to Fiji's Lomaiviti Archipelago
Gau Island is an volcanic island in Fiji. It covers 142 km², with 76 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 738 m. About 8,000 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 2,886 km away.
Getting there
- Nausori International Airport (SUV)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 80 km in a straight lineCar hire in SuvaDiscover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- 2,886 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to February and from July to Septemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Gau Island.
- 9beachesMuaingau Point and 8 more
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Gau Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Gau Island, each with its own numbers.
11beaches and covesCoastya
7mountainsPeakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
28.8°C
Matavuralevu Beach
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
11 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Vutukata Beach28.7°C
- Nukudamu Beach28.7°C
- Nukuyaweni Beach28.7°C
- Naviavia Beach28.7°C
- Nukuloa Beach28.7°C
- Naisauyaga Beach28.7°C
- Vatoaleka Beach28.8°C
- Matavuralevu Beach28.8°C
3 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
7 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Ndelaivonda
- Nasarea
- Koroninokonoko
- Shoulder Peak
- Mbamasawe
- Nakandrose
- Nakorowaro North
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 167 m above the sea. 68 % of it is below 200 m.
- 25 %0–50 m
- 42 %50–200 m
- 28 %200–500 m
- 4 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Levuka8,360 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 |
| Night low (°C) | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 260 | 286 | 311 | 261 | 181 | 137 | 92 | 96 | 124 | 187 | 180 | 258 |
| Wet days | 24 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 23 |
| Sun h/day | 7.9 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 7.5 |
| Wind (km/h) | 20 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 22 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +1.3 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.5 | −0.8 |
| 2021 | −0.2 | −0.8 | −1.0 | ±0.0 | −0.4 | −0.2 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +0.8 |
| 2022 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +1.5 | +1.3 | +1.2 | +1.3 | +1.7 |
| 2023 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.6 | −0.1 | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| 2024 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +1.0 | +0.4 | +0.7 |
| 2025 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.8 | +0.6 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q48317) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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